Heather Morgan and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein might need more agents than lawyers.
The alleged crypto schemers who were arrested last week on charges of Bitcoin laundering already have three Hollywood projects in the works vying to tell their story. The married New York City couple are accused of laundering $4.5 billion in stolen cryptocurrency in what’s been called “the biggest criminal financial crime case in history.”
The first project, a documentary from Netflix, was announced last week, a mere 72 hours after the millennial couple’s arrest, and has Tiger King and Fyre director Chris Smith on board.
On Wednesday, Entertainment One (eOne) and Forbes Entertainment announced a partnership to create two more projects based on the couple’s story, one scripted and one non-.
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“The Crypto Couple’s story reads like a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde drama,” said Forbes Entertainment’s partnerships director Travis Collins. “As the de-facto source of tracking wealth and publishing financial investigative journalism, Forbes can help bring this story to life in a way that few can do as authoritatively. Through this riveting narrative, we aim to help educate audiences about the cryptocurrency world, one that to many remains mysterious and ethereal.”
Added Michael Lombardo, eOne’s president of global television, “With the combination of the elite reporting from Forbes and the incredible skills and passion of our producing partners, we feel uniquely situated to bring this story to life for global audiences.”
Production on eOne’s documentary project has already begun. Geno McDermott and Jordan Rosenblum are executive producers on the documentary, and Tucker Tooley of Tucker Tooley Entertainment will executive produce the scripted project.
Lichtenstein and Morgan face charges of conspiring to launder nearly 120,000 Bitcoin tied to a 2016 hack of a Hong Kong virtual currency exchange. Lichtenstein was the self-described “crocodile of Wall Street” while Morgan was an aspiring rapper going by the alter ego “Razzlekhan,” and her husband filled New York City with billboards and posters promoting her.
On Monday, a federal judge ordered the pretrial detention of Lichtenstein, 34, due to his financial resources, while Morgan, 31, was released until trial on bail. The judge noted the couple faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
